Riding the Bridges With The Big E, Nick and Becky

Once again it was off to ride the 3 Bridges (Gandy, Bayside, Causeway) and a Span (North Blvd. over the Hillsborough) -- and it was a terrific 51.7-miler with Ellen "The Big E" Pierson, Nick and Becky.

The route from Seminole Heights to the Bridges and back included Tampa's finest bike infrastructure -- sharrowed roads of NorthnBlvd. and Euclid, bike lanes on Bayshore, Manhattan and Nebraska and even the U-Path Trail.

Over the Gandy we pedaled to US 19 and 49th Street over to the Bayside and Courtney Campbell Bridges and then via the U-Path Trail we hooked into Cypress and pedaled across Tampa to North Blvd. and home to Seminole Heights.

Lots of gorgeous views of the water from the bridges in between a little grit on the few commercial roads we took. Overall, a splendid ride with terrific company.

There's Nick -- he has been known to use these candid bridge shots for his Facebook profile photo.


There's the Big E -- Ellen. On the frontage road we can exchange witty banter.


Becky and the Big E head down the frontage road.

Bike Valet At The Mayor's Green River Event In Tampa

Bob Buckhorn wanted to turn the Hillsborough River green and gosh darn it the Tampa mayor did it.

The city invited some food and beer trucks, set up some kids tents and ordered killer weather of clear skies and 80 degree temps and you had a nice day at the downtown Curtis Hixon park on the Hillsborough River in Tampa to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Jim Shirk, the czar of the bike valet, was manning the parked bikes as usual at the event and I swung by to give Jim a break.





Then it was off to a bike shop and I also swing by Yankee Stadium in Tampa, better known as Steinbrenner Field where the Yanks hotsed the Astros in a pre-season game.

Sign Petition To Save Friendship TrailBridge

Click here to sign the Friendship TrailBridge.

The Crit Is Coming, The Crit Is Coming

If you love bike racing and good beer you just hit the lottery because the Downtown Crit is coming to downtown Tampa on March 31. Check out www.tampacrit.com for all the info.

Bicyclists Need Their Place and Space

Three University of South Florida grad students gave a fascinating presentation to the Tampa/Hillsborough Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee Wednesday evening about motorist, bicyclist and pedestrian attitudes at the USF campus.

One of the interesting conclusions is that motorists didn't like bicyclists on roads and pedestrians didn't like bicyclists on sidewalks, leaving bicyclists wondering where were they welcomed.

Of course, it spoke to the key issue of educating and training motorists to accept bicyclists as part of the traffic and users of our publoc roadways.

Creative Loafing Updates The Friendship TrailBridge

Kate Bradshaw did a nice update story on the Friendship TrailBridge for today's Creative Loafing.

I took this photo of the closed TrailBridge in December while cycling over the Gandy Bridge and thought to myself the Tampa Bay area has so much potential and so little realized. The TrailBridge was a gem used by 600,000 annual users and now after 3 1/2 years of being closed the first phase of demolition is set.

Bicyclist Struck In Naples Area Fights To Recover

Mike Ploch posted this disturbing story about a bicyclist struck in the Naples area who is fighting to recover from her injuries.

Story says she was struck by a county trailer and dragged underneath, but no charges against the driver.